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I’m giving away copies of the new How to Cook Everything iPad App, one every day until new year’s eve. Just sign up for the newsletter (look to your left) to enter the running. I’ll pick an email address at random and send you the App.

Fajitas

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Fajita has come to mean any assemble-it-yourself assortment of meat, chicken, or even fish (usually shrimp) and grilled vegetables. Here’s the basic formula:

I’m giving away copies of the new How to Cook Everything iPad App, one every day until new year’s eve. Just sign up for the newsletter (look to your left) to enter the running. I’ll pick an email address at random and send you the App.

Real Popcorn

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Time: About 10 minutes

Unless you’re at work, please forget about microwave popcorn. It doesn’t compare to the real thing (especially if you don’t store the kernels forever), which takes at most twice as long. And popcorn takes brilliantly to real butter (instead of that artificially butter-flavored oil), cheese, and many other seasonings.

The essential sear-and-simmer technique that leaves you with any number of excellent pan sauces (see the variations).

Other cuts and meats you can use: bone-in chicken thighs (which will require more cooking) or pork medal- lions cut from the tenderloin (which will cook more quickly). Check out the new How to Cook Everything iPad App

“The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said people in America are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. They want to give all the power to the federal government to force you to eat more fruits and vegetables. … This is socialism of the highest order!” – Rep. Paul Broun, Georgia

Over at Slate, Dahlia Lithwick takes a humorous look at Republicans’ fear of vegetables, particularly the idiotic idea that the government will force people to eat vegetables if we don’t nip socialism in the bud.

Lithwick speculates that conservatives’ fear of vegetables (which is somewhat ironic, given all the lip service they pay to “the American farmer”) stems from their personal dislike of vegetables and their latent fear of women, especially their mothers. And while she has a lot of fun lampooning those who equate the government’s encouragement of healthy eating with a socialist takeover, she doesn’t mention another reason conservatives’ arguments are ridiculous: The government already encourages Americans to eat certain foods by subsidizing crops.

In making this recipe, I was reminded to never underestimate the power of fresh herbs. I went with a mix of pretty much every herb listed below (parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, tarragon, thyme), and despite my concerns that the flavors might clash, everything came together. The leeks and herbs made my kitchen smell like a garden, and the color is gorgeous. Cannellini beans make a great base for this dish. They’re very creamy but relatively neutral in flavor, so they take well to the herbs and leeks. The result was earthy and fresh—not to mention quite versatile. As noted below, you could serve this dish with fish or chicken (you may want a chunkier, hand-mashed consistency for that), or you can puree it and use it as a topping for crostini, as I did. And I will admit to just eating it by the spoonful as well.

After a quick taste-test, I decided to add just about a tablespoon or 2 of lemon juice (about 1/3 of a fresh lemon) to the mixture. The citrus really brightened up the flavors and gave it a nice zing at the end. Recipe from The Food Matters Cookbook.

The just-released How to Cook Everything iPad App is spectacular (and I can say that since I didn’t develop it!). It’s something neither I nor anyone else could have dreamed of when I was first working on the book in the mid-90s.

To celebrate the launch I’m officially kicking off “The 12 Days of How to Cook Everything,” a countdown of the 12 most-voted-for HTCE recipes (based on an ongoing voting feature embedded in the App), one-a-day until new year’s eve.

It’s fascinating to me to see the recipes that people search for and come back to again and again: If you have any all-time favorites, post them in the comments section below, or just vote for them on the App.

Excuse the superlatives; this spin on a Spanish tapa is my favorite, and everyone I serve it to loves it. The shrimp juices infuse the oil, and the sum is beyond delicious. It’s good with bread, over rice, tossed with pasta, or stuffed into tacos.